


Icing on the Cake

by otaku_potterhead



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Yes Weiss owns a bakery don't judge me, they deserve happiness, when i get round to it, which is probably gonna take a while
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-23
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2018-12-25 02:24:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12026124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/otaku_potterhead/pseuds/otaku_potterhead
Summary: One is a university student who cannot, in any way, cook. One is a family renegade who just wants to own a bakery. One is a writer who writes for equality between humans and faunus. One is a musician trying to solidify her turbulent career. Together, they discover the hardships of adulthood, the shenanigans of friendships, and perhaps even the beauty of finding love.





	1. Chapter 1

"Ruby?"

The young woman stayed in her slumber, not responding. Her ginger-haired roommate waited for a moment before shaking her shoulder.

"Ruby?" she repeated, with the same patient tone. Ruby groaned and pulled up the covers over her chin, her eyes still tightly shut. "I think it might be time to wake up."

"Just five more minutes, Penny." 

Penny gave her an amused but sceptical look. "You said that yesterday, but you woke up at noon."

"I don't have a lecture until ....ten, I think." mumbled Ruby, a first year Engineering student who was already regretting her life choices. Penny however, a first year Computer Science student, was always organised and constantly had a positive attitude to life, which always amazed her roommate.

"Well, I have a meeting with my Programming Society in twenty minutes." said Penny, straightening up. "But maybe we can have lunch afterwards!" Ruby gave an incoherent murmur in response as she groggily shifted to face the wall.

"Sure." she yawned.

"See you later, then!" the door was opened and then shut soon after. Ruby sighed and sat up, running her hand through her tousled, dark hair. She reluctantly vacated her warm bed in search of the coffee pot.

* * *

_"DING."_

Swiftly, the young woman from behind the counter lifted her head to see a new customer peering around the bakery. Bright blonde curls cascaded down her back, fitting with her yellow varsity jacket and sneakers; though she was wearing aviator sunglasses, her face was clearly intrigued. Before Weiss could even begin her greeting, the latter spoke.

"Cool bakery you've got here." she commented, removing her sunglasses to reveal amethyst purple eyes.

"Thank you, I'm glad you enjoy the décor." the white-haired woman replied politely - 'always a must for customers', she often told herself. "What would you like?" she asked, earning a shrug from the blonde.

"Actually, I was wondering if you could help me with some directions."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "You're new here?"

"Yeah, I just moved recently." grinned the blonde, "Do you know where the Vale Music Emporium is?"

She raised her hand and pointed outside the bakery, towards the West. "Walk down that street and turn left at the second junction, it'll be on your right."

"Thanks!" the young woman thought for a second. "By the way, I was looking at your advert outside and it says you have some vacancies."

"Yes, it's only me here right now. Are you thinking of applying?"

With a laugh, the blonde waved off the question. "I'd probably set fire to the bakery! No - I was wondering if you'd take in my sister? She's attending the university around here and she's always complaining that she's short of cash."

"Well, I can give you my contact details for you to pass on." said Weiss, handing the the latter a duck-egg blue business card.

"Sounds good!" the blonde said, taking the card and looking at it. "Miss Smith, right?"

That surname still sounded foreign to her. "You can call me Weiss."

"I'm Yang, my sister's called Ruby." she held out her hand over the counter in a friendly fashion. Weiss politely shook it, seeing red marks and callouses on her hands.

"Are you a musician?"

Yang gave a chuckle, withdrawing her hand and looking at it. "Yup. Music's basically my life. It's why I took up the job at the music emporium."

"I see. Well, it was nice meeting you, Yang. Thanks for recommending your sister to me."

"No problem, Weiss. See you around, then!"

* * *

In the silence of the early morning, the lobby of the apartment block was usually deserted with all the lights long put out, even the streetlights outside. Only the moonlight made the rows of stainless steel gleam as a figure padded towards them.

Metal clinking with metal echoed harshly through the room as Blake opened her postal box and reached for the large, brown envelope inside. A wave of anticipation washed over her as she tore open the seal, letting the sound echo loudly through the hall.

An official-looking white document was soon drawn out by shaking hands. Whether they were shaking from the cold or from the whirlwind of emotions that Blake was experiencing, she'd never know. The envelope lay temporarily discarded on the floor as the young woman's eyes scanned the paper.

_BEACON PUBLISHING COMPANY LIMITED_

_Dear Miss Belladonna,_

_Thank you for submitting your manuscript "Genetics between Human and Faunus" to us for publication. Unfortunately, we have rejected your manuscript due to inconsistencies in its sources, therefore putting its reliability into question as a non-fiction text. Furthermore, the-._

Blake has already stopped reading, the paper quivering in her hands. She reached for the envelope on the the floor, which contained her rejected manuscript, and stalked off back towards the elevators. She'd lost count of how many times the manuscript had been tirelessly edited and repeatedly sent to the dreaded publishers, all in vain. 

With a soft thud the steel doors slid open, letting its harsh, artificial light flood the lobby.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ruby is an awkward dork.

_"A job? As what?"_ Ruby asked, sounding genuinely surprised. 

"At a bakery not far from where I'm working." replied Yang, holding the scroll to her ear with her shoulder while she occupied herself with tuning her guitar.

_"A- wait, what?! Yang, I can't cook!"_

The blonde snickered. "Yeah, you can't even make a decent bowl of instant ramen."

_"I'll have you know that I like the ramen coated in soy sauce. Anyway, it's nice of you to find a job for me, but I really can't work in a bakery!"_

"Calm down, you'll probably just be helping with cleaning up the place or something easy. It can't be as worse as the bar job I had when I was in uni."

There was a brief silence. _"I mean, I have been running short on Lien for- actually, for quite a while."_

"Exactly."

_"And the lecturer's telling us to buy three more textbooks, because the library's always got them reserved..."_

"Do you have any classes today?" 

_"I have a seminar at around twelve." ___

"Perfect, I'll meet you at the campus gates and we can go to the bakery, then I can head off to work afterwards-." 

_"Wait!"_

"What?"

There was a sigh of exasperation, followed by what sounded like Ruby drinking out of an energy drink can. _"Fine."_

"You'll do fine. See you outside the gates at one?"

_"Sure, see you, then."_

"Love ya, sis." replied Yang, hearing the call end. She tossed her scroll to the side and laid her guitar down on the bed before heading for a shower.

* * *

Blake sat at the table, hunched over her manuscript with her brows furrowed. A pen was poised in her slender hand, but was making no movement. She'd been through this cycle many times; she'd spent almost all of last night trying to correct the damned manuscript with no outcome. A change of scenery didn't seem to help, either.

The young woman felt a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong? You've been brooding all morning." asked Weiss.

"Nothing, it's just this manuscript. They sent it back again." Blake saw a steaming cup of tea being placed in front of her. "Uh- I didn't pay for-."

"It's on the house." Weiss replied, sitting down on the chair opposite. The two were steady friends, with Blake being one of the only regular customers at Weiss' café. "You looked like you needed another cup, anyway."

With a small, grateful smile, Blake put down the pen. "Thanks."

"No problem. What was wrong with the manuscript?"

"It has inaccurate sources, apparently." she exhaled heavily, picking up the cup. "I guess that is a point, some of the research is my own from university."

"Your own?! I'm impressed."

"I'm studying for my postgraduate in Genetics."

"Nice. But it's still trustworthy research." said Weiss, adjusting her hairpiece.

"Apparently the publishers don't think so."

"Well, I'm sure you're doing a great job, nonetheless."

The dark-haired woman murmured in reply, just as the bell rang, indicating that someone had entered the bakery. Weiss quickly vacated the table.

"Welcome- ah, Yang, is it?" 

Intrigued, Blake looked up from her table and craned her head towards the front of the café, being unfamiliar with this new name. She spotted two young women standing by the counter, one with bright blonde hair and the other with brown hair changing to red at the tips; both were around her age.

"Hey, Weiss! I brought my sister Ruby along." said the blonde cheerily, who Blake assumed was Yang.

Ruby, who was looking far less ecstatic than Yang with her hands in her baggy hoodie pockets. "H-Hi, I'm Ruby." she mentally cursed for sounding so obvious. Yang nudged her sister, making the brunette take her hands out of her pockets. Weiss looked at the mismatched pair, slightly confused. 

"Yeah, sorry, she's about as sociable as a brick."

"Hey!"

Weiss decided to try and look past the awkward situation. "Nice to meet you, Ruby. I assume you're looking for a part-time job at my establishment?"

More nudging. "Heh, that's... that's right. I'd be able to... uh... clean things, help you out with the café, and... things like that."

Yang put her hand to her face, either in frustration or to hide a grin at how abysmal that went. Weiss raised an eyebrow. Blake returned to her manuscript.

"I see." Weiss gave an exhale. "Well, you can come along whenever you're free to try out the job, if you'd like."

"Sounds... sounds good!"

"She's free right now, actually."

"Yang!" exclaimed Ruby. Her sister checked her watch, grinning.

"Oops, would you look at the time! I've gotta be off for work now, see you around, guys!" Yang bent down to whisper in Ruby's ear. "Take it easy, sis. You'll do fine." she was out of the door before Ruby could even retaliate.

"S-Sorry about my sister."

"It's fine." Weiss leaned gently on the counter. "So, are you a student?"

"Yup... I'm studying Engineering."

"Good to know." she stood up properly. "Well, Ruby, let me me accustom you to the establishment."

"Uh, show me around the café?"

"Basically, yes."

* * *

Vale Music Emporium, despite being a large warehouse crammed with almost every music-related item under the sun, was usually quite sparse of customers. As a result, the workers - donned with orange polo shirts - were usually minding their own business. Or writing songs for their upcoming album.

"Okay, this song's dragging on for way too long." muttered Scarlet as he looked over the shoulders of Yang and Nora, who were writing down the lyrics. The three, along with two others who didn't work at the emporium, belonged to a rock band who were trying to make their music heard throughout Vale.

"But the lyrics are good, you've gotta admit!" replied Nora.

"It goes on for seven minutes. I'm not playing the same rhythm on the bass for that long."

"We could cut the pre-choruses out." mused Yang.

"Are you kidding?! The pre-chorus is the best part!" said the ginger.

"The last two verses?" suggested Scarlet.

"No, those are good verses."

Yang arched an eyebrow. "I'm taking a break from this. How many guitars still need fixing? I might go and see if I can tinker with some."

"Oh Dust, yeah. There's the three electro-acoustic ones that need to be fixed and sent out by tomorrow evening." said Nora.

"And have any of you started fixing them?"

"Maybe. Maybe not."


	3. Chapter 3

"And here," Weiss began, ascending the staircase ahead of Ruby, "are my offices."

"Uh, interesting." Ruby replied, trying to sound impressed and failing. They crossed the landing to a slightly cramped yet neat office. The desk topped with a computer and neat stacks of documents was facing the window, a filing cabinet tucked in the space between the edge of the desk and the wall. A bookshelf was opposite the desk, full of dreary books on interior designing, business management and cake aesthetics.

Okay, maybe cake aesthetics were less of a bore.

"So," started Weiss, sitting down at her desk chair which prompted Ruby to also take a seat on what looked like a pouffe. "any questions?"

"Not really. It is a lovely café- I mean bakery." 

"You could argue that my establishment is a mix of both."

"Right, yes, of course." there was a short silence. "A cakery?" she was met with a perplexed stare. "No? Okay."

"When are you free for shifts?"

"Whenever... whenever I don't have classes, I guess. The weekends... generally most days after four o'clock."

"Good to hear. Well, Ruby, we can start tomorrow, if that's okay with you."

"You don't... need my CV or anything?"

Weiss gave a shrug. "I don't see why I'd need one, seen as though you're only taking this as a part-time job and, to be honest, I'm desperately short of help."

"Oh, uh... okay. Sounds good!" Ruby gave a nervous laugh. "It's gonna be good working with you!"

"I do hope so."

* * *

"Hey, Yang, there's a customer asking for help." said Scarlet, walking into the musty backroom where the staff worked on fixing broken instruments.

"Can't you give them the help?" responded Yang, who was rummaging through a drawer for a new guitar string.

"I could, but I'd rather be fixing guitars." he plucked the instrument out from Yang's grasp. "Off you go."

The blonde rolled her eyes and got up from the chair. "You're useless."

Outside, Yang spotted a black-haired young woman standing by the counter, a black bow perched on top of her head. Her amber eyes, which were scanning the large building, soon widened as Yang approached.

"Good afternoon! Can I help you?"

"Yes, I'm looking for... some noise-cancelling headphones." Blake decided to leave questions until later.

"Any particular brand you're after?"

"Not really. They just need to be of good quality."

"You don't need to worry about that, all our products are of the highest quality." Yang grinned, leaning on the counter.

"I'll take your word for it." Blake replied curtly.

"I'll show you to them." the musician offered. After a while of navigating through the many shelves, they came to a rack of glossy, boxed headphones at the back of the building.

"Thanks."

"No problem! Call me over if you need any more help." 

Before long, Blake returned to the counter, holding the first box of noise-cancelling headphones that she'd spotted. Yang cheerfully rang up the counter when Blake placed the box down. "That was quick!" she commented. Blake simply murmured in response. "That'll be twenty-nine Lien, please."

The writer handed over a small stack of the currency. "By the way, I think I saw you over at 'The Icing on the Cake' not long before I left."

Yang gave a chuckle. "Yup, I was there with my sister." she spotted Blake's surprised face, and laughed. "Yeah, I know what you're thinking."

"I'm sorry, that wasn't tactful of me." the dark-haired woman replied as a receipt was handed to her, along with the bagged box.

"It's cool. I get that a lot. So, are you a regular customer at the place?"

"Yes. So your sister's going to be working there too?"

"Maybe. If she doesn't burn the place down. Means I'll have to become a regular customer as well just to check up on her." she joked. "I'm Yang, by the way."

"I guessed from the badge on your shirt." Blake responded, putting the receipt in the bag and taking it off the counter.

"Well, you never know, I might be an undercover spy in this warehouse with a fake name." Yang grinned, making the latter smile slightly. 

"I'm Blake."

"Nice to meet you, Blake! Expect to see a lot more of my appearances at the bakery! Hang on," Yang disappeared under the counter for a moment, and returned holding a key-ring. "Free for all purchases over twenty Lien!" she said, handing the object to Blake. She looked at it; it was a little electric guitar with the words 'Pent Up Misery' engraved at the side.

"Pent up Misery?"

"It's my band name."

"... Okay then. Uh, thanks."

"No problem, see you around, Blake!"

Once the writer had departed from the emporium, Scarlet poked his head around the backroom door towards the counters. "Yang, were you advertising our band again?"

"I was simply giving the customer a key-ring because the purchase was over twenty Lien."

"Right. You do know that's only for purchases over thirty?"

"It was twenty-nine, close enough."

* * *

"I am simply jubilant over the fresher's party tomorrow!" Penny exclaimed, somewhat out of the blue. Ruby looked up from her magazine at the bed opposite her, where Penny was sitting cross-legged.

"Fresher's party?"

"Of course! I've heard that it's an amazing social gathering. Are you coming along, Ruby? It's starting at five!"

The engineering student gave a wan smile. "I'd love to, Penny, but I've started taking up a part-time job."

"A job? That's good! What as?"

"I'm helping out in the bakery not far from the campus."

"Oh! I've heard of that particular bakery. It's called 'The Icing on the Cake', right?"

"Yeah, have you been there before?"

Penny shook her head, her ginger bob bouncing with the movement. "No, but I know of the owner!"

With a hint of curiosity, Ruby put down her magazine. "You do?"

"Yes! Now, let me see..." Penny raised her hand, intent on counting. "She's from Atlas, like me. She's called Weiss, unlike me. She went against her family's wishes to move to Vale. And, uh... I think that's it. Well, not really, but it's not nice to tell others about people's secrets."

"Secrets?" Ruby repeated, confused.

The computing student nodded, but didn't elaborate. "I have a secret, you know."

"... What is it?"

"I'm going to be the DJ at the fresher's party! And I am DJ ready!" Penny smiled. Ruby returned the expression and went back to her magazine.

"I'm sure you'll have a great time."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Emo bands with their names changed slightly yaaay

"Ruby." Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. "Do you know how to peel an apple?"

Her assistant was standing beside her, holding the small remnants of what was previously a large apple, with the rest of the apple's contents in the bin. "Uh, I think so?"

"You've peeled half of the goodness away!"

"I thought that's what.... what you wanted me to do."

"You're only meant to peel the skin off."

"... I mean, I did do that." Ruby replied tentatively. It had been less than hour into this job, and Weiss' patience was already beginning to run dry.

"Right. You go mind the counter while I sort this out."

Beyond the kitchen, the bakery was almost deserted, with the exception of a black-haired young woman sitting at a table and typing into a laptop. The soft clicking sounds hummed through the air as Ruby stood at the counter, knowing already that this job was not going to go well.

The student turned to look back in the kitchen, where Weiss was bustling around cleaning up. Penny's words from yesterday buzzed through Ruby's mind, making her wonder if what Penny said was true. Then again, her roommate had an uncanny habit of hiccuping whenever she lied, and she certainly didn't hiccup at all during that conversation.

Becoming inattentive to the counter, Ruby looked over at Weiss. She could only guess that the age difference between them was small, despite Weiss' strict demeanour. Her hair, as white as fresh snow, was pinned up in an asymmetrical ponytail which hung over the back of a crisp blue dress, partially hidden by a flour-streaked apron tied over her thin waist. What surprised Ruby the most were her white high-heels, which were a good three inches tall and emitted a loud clacking sound whenever Weiss walked along the linoleum floor.

Abruptly, Weiss looked up from tidying a drawer and spotted Ruby staring at her. "What?!"

"I- uh, nothing." stammered the student, returning to look back at the counter.

This was going to be a long shift.

* * *

"So, how was the bakery?"

"Boring!" replied Ruby in exasperation, who was currently sprawled on Yang's bed in her apartment.

"Wow, that was an unexpected answer." smirked Yang sarcastically, sitting on the bed and playfully poking Ruby's forehead. "How's the pay gonna go?"

"Around eleven Lien an hour." muttered Ruby, her voice muffled because she'd buried her face into a pillow.

"That's a lot more than I expected!" Yang nudged her sister's arm playfully. "You proud of your sis for finding you a decent job?"

Ruby looked at Yang over the top of the pillow. "I guess."

"And now you can start paying off for all of the money you've borrowed from me!" Yang spotted Ruby's horrified expression and laughed. "I'm kidding, sis."

"... Right."

"So how are your studies doing? Not causing too much trouble?"

"You sound like dad." the student sighed. "I have to hand in work tomorrow to my seminar and we got given an assignment four days ago about rotor-dynamics, two thousand five hundred words."

"Have you started it?"

"I typed out the title yesterday and decided to take a ten-hour nap, by which I mean I went to sleep."

"Mm, very academic." 

"Everyone does that, you know. Well, apart from Penny-." Ruby said just as Yang's scroll buzzed with a new text message. The blonde looked at it, grinning. "What is it?"

"Coco just texted me saying that she's secured a venue for a gig next week." responded Yang, texting back a brief message before tossing her scroll to one side on the bed and laying down next to Ruby. "About time, we haven't had a gig in ages."

"I thought you guys were still working on the album."

"So? We can just do old songs or covers. People can dig that, plus it's at The Cabinet, one of the best music venues this side of Vale! Tell some people about it, will ya?"

"Like who?" grumbled Ruby. "I can tell Penny and Jaune and that's about it."

"What about Weiss?"

"I doubt that she's the type who likes listening to rock."

"Well, you never know, she might be part of a hardcore rocker-screamo cult." Yang thought for a moment, smiling. "I might see if Blake's interested."

"Blake?"

"Y'know, the black-haired chick who was in the caff when we visited. She was in the emporium yesterday."

"Oh, I think she was in today as well."

"She gives me 'My Biological Romance' vibes, like the sort of people who wear black eyeliner and cry and break things whenever they hear a 'g' note on the piano."

"Whatever you say, Yang." Ruby saw a dreamy look on Yang's face. "Uh, Yang, your lesbian is showing." she snickered, getting a pillow to the face. The two siblings began engaging in a pillow fight for a solid five minutes until Yang's scroll buzzed with another text message.

"Damn, what now?" Yang muttered, reaching for her scroll. Ruby laughed, chucking a pillow at Yang.

"I win!" she exclaimed, triumphant.

"I'll get you back, Rubes." the blonde replied, adjusting her shirt and looking at the message. "Great, Neptune's telling us to do a rehearsal at his house in an hour. He's got the smallest recording room, plus his house smells like stale pizza."

"How are you gonna get the drums in?" Ruby asked, tossing the mound of battered pillows over to the headboard.

"Scarlet's uncle runs an instrument rental service, he always sorts it out." Yang said, getting up and reaching for her jacket.

"Can I come?" Ruby asked. She just wanted to procrastinate writing her assignment.

"Sure, why not. Grab your helmet, let's go."

* * *

Half an hour later, Bumblebee drew up at the poorly-lit entrance of an apartment block. Ruby unwrapped her arms from around Yang's waist and hopped off the motorcycle, removing her helmet. 

"Yeah, the place looks as dingy as always." said Yang, setting the bike to 'lock' mode with its electronic key. "He works as some sort of junior detective for the police force, so he doesn't get paid much." she explained as she took her helmet off. Ruby nodded in response and followed her sister into the apartment block. "At least his pad's on the ground floor."

She knocked on the door and, after several knocks and some light cursing from Yang, Neptune opened it. "Hey ladybro."

"Thanks for opening the door so promptly." 

"I was sorting out my hair, okay?" Neptune's gaze landed on Ruby. "Who's your friend?"

"Actually, Ruby's my sister. She's just come along to watch us rehearse." Yang saw Neptune's face. "I get that a lot."

"Whatever, pal." Neptune said, letting the two in and closing the door behind them. "Scarlet and Coco are starting to set up. I'll be back in a minute."

"More like an hour, knowing him." commented Yang. In the recording studio - or simply Neptune's refurbished guest bedroom - were some of her band members, fiddling with music stands.

"Hey." Scarlet greeted, without looking up from the stand. Coco chucked the music stand to one side and sauntered over to Yang and Ruby.

"Hello, Yang. Hello Ruby, long time no see."

Ruby had met the band leader a couple of months ago at a gig Yang's band had performed to celebrate Ruby graduating from high school. "Hi, Coco."

Coco ruffled Ruby's hair. "Have you come to replace one of us, kid? I'm betting it's Scarlet."

"Oi, I heard that."

This non-stop banter was always prevalent when the band was together, even more so when Nora joined. Ruby made herself comfortable on a plush armchair in the corner of the room, listening to the chatter and snippets of songs. Yang was sat behind the drum kit this time; she and Nora often alternated roles as the drummer and the rhythm guitarist. Neptune was standing over a complicated-looking synthesizer, next to Scarlet with his bass. Coco and Nora were standing towards the front of the room, each holding electric guitars.

Suddenly, Ruby felt her scroll vibrate in her pocket. She excused herself and exited the room to take the call.

 _"Finally, you've decided to pick up!"_ came the voice of Weiss. _"I've been trying to ring you for the past ten minutes!"_

"Oh, uh, hi Weiss."

_"Just so you know, you left your work on the counter. 'The Process of Steam-Powered Turbines'."_

Shoot.

"Oh Dust, I have to hand it in tomorrow morning!"

She heard a heavy exhale of breath. _"Come to my apartment to get it. I'm not trailing all the way back to the bakery. It's Snowpea City Apartments, the second block, first building on floor fourteen."_

"Th-Thanks, Weiss! I'll head over as soon as I can."

_"You'd better."_

Ruby heard the call end, dashed back inside the room to inform Yang before grabbing her bag and hastily exiting Neptune's apartment.


	5. Chapter 5

It didn't take long to navigate towards the residential area, even on foot - the buildings were some of the highest in Vale. Ruby soon found herself standing at a sign which showed the different directions of every building, her cheeks slightly red from the autumn chill.

It took her a further five minutes to find block two's first building, with a lobby floor so polished that Ruby's boots emitted an unpleasant squeaking noise as she walked towards the intercom. She pulled out her scroll and called Weiss, looking around the silent room.

_"Hello?"_

"Hi Weiss. I'm- uh, at your apartment lobby."

_"Okay- hang on while I unlock the doors."_

The called swiftly ended, soon followed by a 'click' from the door. Ruby pushed the door open and pressed the button for the elevator, which arrived with its interior a bright silver in colour, not a speck of dirt in sight. She was surprised; Snowpea was one of the most expensive residential areas.

Before long, Ruby soon found herself standing at Weiss' apartment door. Taking a deep breath, she knocked and almost immediately, the door opened and Weiss peered out with her intense blue gaze.

"Hi." greeted Ruby, though it was more of a mouse squeak.

"That was quite quick." said Weiss as Ruby entered, in a haze of not exactly knowing what to do.

"W-Well, I did accidentally go to the fifteenth floor and may have given an old lady a heart attack..." she replied, looking slightly guilty.

"Just stay put, I'll go and get your work." Weiss uttered, walking off. Ruby looked around the living - it was bigger than Yang's, neatly decorated with a homely oak decor and pale blue walls. A rococo-inspired sofa was opposite a wall-mounted television with matching armchairs on either side; along one side of the wall was a chest of sleek, oak drawers with various glass ornaments displayed on top.

Weiss soon returned, holding a folder. "Here you go." she said, handing it to the brunette. As expected, she was much shorter than Ruby without her heels, the top of her head being around level with Ruby's nose. 

"Thank you so much, Weiss!"

"No problem. Just don't leave random stuff in the bakery again."

"I'll... I'll try." The pair stood in silence for a moment. "I should get going now."

"Sure. It's going to get dark soon." Weiss drawled. "See you tomorrow, then."

* * *

_20,000 FOLLOWER MILESTONE REACHED_

Blake felt slightly relieved by this notification. She'd been running the blog on human-faunus equality for three years now, updating every single week without fail.

"Hey." came a familiar voice. The writer's eyes flicked up from her laptop and saw Yang grinning at her.

"Hello. Have you come to check up on your sister again?" 

It had been around a week since Ruby had started her part-time job, and things were becoming less turbulent between her and Weiss. Albeit slowly.

"Well, kind of." replied Yang. "You know my band that I was talking about?"

"... Yes?" Blake said, watching the blonde produce a piece of card from her pocket.

"We've got a gig at The Cabinet tomorrow evening. You can come along if you want to." she said, playfully dropping the invitation on the laptop's keyboard. Blake peered at it. "The tickets are meant to be ten Lien per person, but seen as though you're my friend, I can give you a half-price discount."

"... We barely know each other."

"And? If you're gonna be at this caff all the time, then that won't be an issue."

"Right." Blake's eye scanned through the invitation. "What sort of music do you play?"

"Rock. Plus some other genres, but mainly rock."

"I see."

"So, are you up for it?" Yang asked, winking. Blake reached for her purse and fished out a Lien note, giving it to Yang.

"Sure."

"Ace, thanks Blake! You won't regret it!"

"Good to hear."

"Yang?" came Ruby's voice as she exited the kitchen, a streak of pink icing down her cheek. "What are you doing here?"

"Checking that my baby sister's not accidentally committed arson."

"I don't think you can accidentally commit arson." piped up Blake.

"Ah well. Oh, and promoting the best band in Remnant."

Ruby arched an eyebrow. "I'm fine. Weiss is showing me how to pipe icing!"

"Without much of an outcome." said the baker, coming out of the kitchen and holding a board with what looked like a pile of icing on top. "There's a cupcake under this mess."

"Wow, I'm surprised you're letting her anywhere near the food." commented Yang, walking up to the counter and swiftly sticking an invitation in Weiss' apron pocket. "Merry Christmas."

"What in Dust's name are you doing-."

"Yang's band are having a gig tomorrow. She's been throwing invitations at people for the past five days." explained Ruby.

"And it'd be great if you came along! I'll even halve the ticket price!"

Weiss' eyes narrowed. "What sort of gig?"

"Uh, a music gig?" Yang did a bad air-guitar action. "Y'know, rock."

"I'm fine, thanks."

"Aw, come on Ice Queen! It'll be fun; Blake's going, and Ruby, and... uh... whoever saw the posters! You can make friends!" Yang saw Weiss' expression. "Not that you don't have any friends-."

"Fine. I'll go along."

"That's the spirit! That'll be five Lien, please."

* * *

Blake looked in the bedroom mirror, dressed simply in a jacket, black t-shirt and ripped jeans. Her friendship with Yang had seemed so sudden; one minute they seemed like casual acquaintances and the next minute Blake was being invited to Yang's gig just like any friend would be. The writer tugged gently at her bow - it would look slightly out of place at a rock gig, but that couldn't be helped.

She checked the time and dropped her scroll, purse and ticket into her pockets. Weiss was adamant that she, Ruby and Blake would meet outside her bakery and the three would walk to The Cabinet together. With a final check that she hadn't left anything behind, Blake unlocked and exited her apartment, locking the door behind her and pocketing the keys.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blake has claustrophobia someone give her a hug-

"Blake! Over here!" came the voice of Weiss. The writer spotted the two standing outside the closed bakery door and ambled towards them. Weiss had her hair tied up in a white bun and was wearing a grey dress along with her usual high heels - not a suitable attire for a rock concert, but Blake wasn't surprised at that. Ruby was dressed more appropriately, in cargo pants and a maroon sweatshirt with combat boots.

"Sorry, I kept you guys waiting."

"No problem!" smiled Ruby as the trio began walking. "I haven't... really introduced myself to you, have I? I'm Ruby- Ruby Rose, nice to meet you!"

"Blake Belladonna." she replied, shaking Ruby's hand.

Weiss looked them up and down. "You two are dressed really casually."

"Everyone at rock gigs dress like this." 

"Have you never been to a rock concert before, Weiss?" asked Ruby. She'd really warmed up over the past few days at the bakery. The white-haired young woman shook her head in response. "I should take you for some rock-style shopping."

Ruby said is casually enough, but Weiss looked at her again. "I'd rather you not." she said dryly. Instead, Ruby diverted her attention towards Blake.

"So... what do you do?"

"I'm a writer and I also conduct research on genetics at Beacon University."

"Beacon!" echoed Ruby. "I've heard it's a really good place! I wanted to go there, but its Engineering cohort was already full by the time I applied."

"Well, Signal's really good too." Blake commented. "So, you study Engineering?"

"Yup."

The three continued this stream of conversation all the way to The Cabinet. It was relatively large, just like Yang had described, with a flashing neon sign and worn brick walls peppered with multicoloured graffiti. Inside, the floor was wood, and blanching with age. A sea of various photos showed all the bands that had performed at The Cabinet which covered one side of the dusky-blue walls. In the corner was a small bar, and various tables and chairs were scattered around the room.

Soon after Ruby, Weiss and Blake had entered, two double doors towards the back of the bar burst open and Yang strode out. She was wearing a yellow tank top with a bandana tied around her neck, underneath a leather jacket along with jeans and her usual sneakers, and beamed when she saw the others.

"You guys are here early!" she exclaimed as the three entered the room to the performance area, where the other members of 'Pent Up Misery' were busy setting up onstage.

"We were gonna come on time, but I just couldn't wait!" smiled Ruby, prompting Yang to pull her into a crushing hug. "How many people are coming?"

"Around forty have paid us tickets, maybe forty-five if anyone turns up at the door."

Internally, Blake felt some sort of weight drop in her stomach. The room wasn't huge - forty people would certainly fill it to the brim.

"You guys can go wait in the bar if you'd like, while we set up. Actually-," Yang turned and called out to Coco. "I'm off to show these three around!" she turned back as they went back into the bar. "If I have to plug in one more amp I swear to Dust..."

"Doesn't that technically mean you're slacking off?" questioned Weiss. Yang shrugged as the four sat down at a table.

"They can handle the stuff by themselves." the musician answered casually, though Ruby noticed that her finger was tapping on the edge of her seat anxiously; as confident as Yang was, she'd always grow slightly nervous before a gig, no matter how energetic she was on stage. Ruby took her sister's hand in hers.

"You'll do great, Yang." she felt the hand squeeze back in acknowledgement. "I know you will."

"Thanks, sis."

They continued their conversation for a while, but it wasn't long before people began entering the venue, and before an irritated Coco (in a stylish glam rock attire) appeared to drag Yang back into the performance area. Two bouncers appeared at the double doors, checking tickets.

"C'mon, we need to get front row seats - well, spaces." said Ruby, nudging Weiss. She spotted Blake's uncomfortable expression. "Blake, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Blake responded curtly. "Let's go."

With that, they had their tickets checked and once again entered the performance area, this time the strobe lights were on - flashing manic colours all over the dark room. Quite a few people were already in, but the three quickly made their way to the front, right underneath where the band were. At this point, the stage was empty apart from the instruments. The only sounds in the air were of the constant chatter.

"Goodness, don't these lights ever cause a seizure?" muttered Weiss, her hair flashing different colours from the strobes. "I'm starting to regret this."

"No you aren't." Ruby chuckled. "It'll be fine."

"I don't even listen to rock music."

"Then what do you listen to?"

"I'm a fan of the classical genre. Beethoven, Haydn, Chopin, Tchaikovs-."

"That's boring!"

"Excuse me, classical music is truly the pinnacle of art-." the lights turned off, drowning the room in black. "What in Dust's name is going on-."

"The band's starting, of course!" Ruby said, but was soon drowned out by the loud screeching of an electric guitar.

"ALL RIGHT!" yelled Coco as the lights came back on, somehow wilder than before. "Are you rockers ready?!" she was met with raucous agreement from the crowd. Ruby looked towards Weiss' bewildered face and gave a loud laugh. Blake just hoped that the front wouldn't become to crowded, even though it was clear that it would.

With another flash of lights, the rest of the band appeared and immediately began performing one of their songs from a previous album. Yang had discarded her leather jacket and was on the rhythm guitar and backing vocals, the tank top showing off her arms, which were knotted with muscle. She winked down at her friends, her left hand sliding up and down the fretboard like a natural.

Ruby was jumping to the beat of the music, singing along with a large smile on her face. Weiss looked at her, incredulous. She didn't hate the atmosphere - she just found it rather... overwhelming to take in. Blake, on the other hand, wanted to enjoy the atmosphere, but was finding that her breathing was becoming more and more ragged with each song.

It seemed like an eternity until Coco announced: "Let's play one last song before the interval - how about a little listen to a song from our upcoming album?!"

The crowd roared in unison, and not long after the song started, Blake decided to leave.

"I'm off for some fresh air." she murmured at no one in particular, before pushing her way through the crowd and into the bar, which was almost deserted apart from the sleep-deprived bartender, who was moodily polishing a glass. She stepped out of the venue and onto the pavement outside, the cold air delicious on her face. The writer sat on the edge of the pavement, drawing her knees up to her chest and steadying her breathing in an effort to calm down.

 _"Great. I've ruined yet another night for myself."_ she thought, hiding her face in her arms.

Minutes passed, feeling like hours. The occasional car blared past, leaving behind a gust of wind and exhaust fumes. Voices hummed from inside The Cabinet, laughing, drinking and conversing away, just like any other night.

Blake felt a cool glass being pressed into her hand. She looked up, now calm, and saw Yang looking at her with a concerned countenance, holding a glass of water.

"Take it." she said gently. Blake gave the glass a sceptical look. "I haven't spiked it with vodka, I swear."

Slowly, she obliged, cautiously sipping from the glass. "Thanks."

"No problem. You looked really uncomfortable during the gig."

"It wasn't the music, if that's what you're thinking. I... I just have rather bad claustrophobia."

"Ah, right." she sat down next to Blake, now wearing her leather jacket again. "Sorry, I didn't know."

"It's not your fault, I didn't tell you." there was a silence. "You should get back to your gig."

"Nah, it's cool. The interval lasts for twenty minutes, plus you'll be lonely out here."

"I'll survive."

"... If you find a quiet spot in the bar, then you can go home with Weiss and Ruby after the show's ended. I'm afraid I'll have to stay and help pack up."

"I will." Blake traced her finger along the perfect circular rim of the glass. "Thank you, Yang."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buff Yang is my aesthetic okay- why does the animation make them have the physiques of noodles
> 
> Beautiful noodles, but noodles nonetheless.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look me in the eye and tell me that Ruby wouldn't compete in eSports.
> 
> P.S. Volume 5 is really wrenching at our hearts isn't it

It was the following day after the rock concert, and Ruby was on her shift as usual. Weiss had given her the simple yet tedious task of calculating the bakery's income and expenditure for the last month, so the student was in the kitchen surrounded by a heap of papers and a battered calculator. A ringing sound was still present in her ears from last night - not that she wasn't used to the sensation, but it took the student a moment to realise that Weiss scroll was buzzing with an incoming call. It was resting on a table next to the industrial fridge, Weiss must have forgotten that it was there.

"Weiss!" exclaimed Ruby, exiting the kitchen while holding the scroll. "Someone's calling you!"

The baker took the scroll and looked at the caller, her curious face turning sombre, then declined the call. "Thanks, Ruby."

"You didn't take the call-."

"It was my father." Weiss said tersely, setting her scroll to the side. "I'll call him back later."

* * *

"Ruby."

There was repeated sound of fingers tapping furiously against the keyboard. "Mm."

_"Ruby."_

"In a minute, Yang. I'm about to level up." her sister replied. Yang reached over to her computer and tapped a key, causing the game to pause. "Hey!"

"I need to ask you something."

The student gave a huff and leaned backwards on the chair, staring up at Yang's bedroom ceiling. "I was just about to gain enough XP to become a Paladin for my guild..."

"What a shame." Yang said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Ruby gave her a sideways look.

"What are you gonna ask me, anyway? And if it's about the eSports, then-."

"Pfft, your precious eSports are safe." Yang snorted. "I was meaning about Christmas."

"Hm? What about it?"

"Are you staying here? Or going home with me?"

The brunette gave a heavy, drawn-out exhale. It was mid-November, the chill of winter evident in the crisp air. The first batch of exams were straight after the Christmas holidays, so many students stayed within the campus to study. "I don't know, Yang. I want to go back to Patch with you and see dad and Zwei again."

"So...?"

"... But I really need to study for these exams, and the university gives us good intervention sessions for the holidays..."

"So you're staying?"

"No- yes, maybe?"

"Mm, very helpful." drawled Yang. "C'mon, dad needs to know; he called me today about it."

"He did?"

"Yup. He also mentioned that a certain old man will be back for the holidays."

Suddenly interested, Ruby leaning towards her sister. "You mean, Uncle Qrow? He's coming back for the holidays?!" she questioned, looking a great deal happier than she previously was. Normally, their uncle was in "God knows where", doing "God knows what", according to their father.

"That's what dad said." she spotted the student's excited look, and chuckled. "So, have you made up your mind?"

"Partially." Ruby responded, turning back to the computer and resuming the game.

"Fine, just make up your mind soon so that I can tell dad."

A few minutes passed, filled with the sound of keyboard clicks, before Ruby made a frustrated noise and logged out. "Stupid game." she turned to look at Yang, who was sat on the bed with a countenance that indicated that their was something else on her mind. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"As if I'm going to believe that."

"Okay, promise me that you won't laugh, or tell anyone."

"Well, I promise I won't tell anyone, but the laughing depends on what you're gonna tell me." 

"Touché." said Yang. She looked up from her hands towards her sister. "What if I told you that I might have a crush on someone-."

"Is it Blake?" Ruby interrupted.

"I- what- wait, how?!" Yang spluttered, turning pink. Ruby simply grinned at her.

"Yang, I know you're smooth with your words, but I'm also not an idiot." 

Over past two months, the four young women had slowly grown into firm friends, despite their differences. Whenever they weren't busy, they were usually at 'The Icing on the Cake', conversing in the warmth and comfort of the bakery.

"Is my flirting really that bad?" Yang asked jokingly.

"Yes, because you include so many puns." Ruby replied.

"But that's what makes my flirting so good!" Yang eyed Ruby. "And punny."

"Oh my dust." she groaned, looking pained. "But seriously, you should ask Blake out. You two would make a great couple!"

"I don't know if she likes girls or not-."

"And? It's never a crime to _ask_ , you know."

"Oh, yeah. That'd be a fun and totally-not-awkward conversation." 

Ruby sat down on the bed beside her sister and playfully nudged her. "Now you're just stalling. You'd normally ask anyone out in a heartbeat."

"Only when I get to know them better."

"Yang, it's been around two months."

"Still, I need to get to know Blake better." 

The student raised an eyebrow and laid backwards onto the bed, her arms folded behind her head. "Well, have fun with your pining."

* * *

_"DING."_

"Hey Weiss!" said Ruby, walking in ten minutes late for her shift. 

"You're late again, you complete dolt." 

"Only five minutes! I had a seminar and it dragged on for a while." she replied, disappearing into the kitchen. Weiss looked at her, an irritated look on her face. She turned and saw a face grinning at her.

"What in Dust's name-."

"Jaune Arc! A pleasure to meet you!" started the blonde. "Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue - ladies love it!"

"Right-."

"I couldn't help noticing that this is a fine bakery."

"Thank you...?"

"Though, it'd look even better with a man around the place." he winked at Weiss, who looked back into the kitchen.

"Ruby, who is this?!"

"Hm- oh, hey Jaune!" Ruby exclaimed, exiting the kitchen and walking up to the counter. "He's in my Engineering class."

"That's right - I'm a very handy guy, you know."

"You get lower grades than I do."

"Did you bring him here?!"

"Uh, maybe." Ruby admitted, causing Weiss to glare daggers at her. She took the hint and ushered Jaune out of the building.

" _What_ was all that about?!" Weiss asked, angered.

"It was Jaune's idea! Partially." Ruby gave a heavy exhale. "Basically, he wants a girlfriend, and I'm helping him get one. Although Pyrrha does like him..."

"Right."

"Jaune a great guy, if a little bit eager... W-Weiss, I didn't mean to annoy you, I promise." she said, spotting Weiss' reddening face, a world away from her usual pale countenance.

"Ruby, I know you meant well, but I..." she took a deep breath. "I'm not interested in boys."

"There's nothing wrong with that-."

 _"Yes there is!"_ Weiss retaliated, backing away from Ruby. "Do you know why I left Atlas?! Why I left my family to go and live in Vale?!"

"N-No..." Ruby said, her voice almost a whisper.

"They disowned me! _Because I'm a lesbian!_ "

And with that, the white-haired young woman turned and swiftly entered the kitchen, slamming the door behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was planning to put the Bumbleby scenario in further on, but it looks like the writer's block has devoured another victim. On the other hand, it's Bumbleby! REJOICE!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a whole year, I'm terrible, I'm so sorry. Sixth form's a bitch.

"This song is still way too long." said Scarlet bluntly, looking at the lyrics.

"Well at least I made it all rhyme now!" countered Nora. "Plus, the guitar riff for the middle is amazing."

"Sure."

"It is! I showed Ren and he said it was great!"

The young man raised an eyebrow. "I'm off to change it." he muttered, stalking off. Nora crossed her arms and pulled a face at his back, returning to the counter where Yang was tuning a snare drum.

"I doubt we're gonna be finishing this album anytime soon." said Yang. 

"Yeah, we could finish it sooner if Mister Emo Pirate back there would stop changing the lyrics." replied Nora. "Then we can send it off to the record label and finally get some copies selling!"

"Hopefully."

A gust of wind came from the door, indicating that someone had entered. Yang looked up from the drum and grinned, seeing Blake step in from the chill outside.

Nora saw Yang's face. "What?"

"Nothing. I'm off for my break now." she said, dropping the drum key on the counter and walking towards the black-haired young woman before Nora could yell out a protest. "Blake, good to see you!"

"Hello, Yang. I need to ask you something, when you're free."

"Well, I'm free right now-."

"Yang! Stop loitering by the door!" exclaimed Nora. The blonde rolled her eyes at her colleague and turned back to Blake, leaning against a nearby shelf of vinyl records.

"What is it?"

"... This is gonna sound a bit odd, but would you be willing to participate in a small interview for my blog? I'll give your band credit."

"An interview? About what?"

"About faunus rights, I run a blog on it."

"Sounds good! Not enough people talk about that kind of stuff nowadays, and it's really upsetting in many ways."

A curious expression crossed Blake's face. "Y-You really think?"

"Of course! Around a year ago, the band had a gig planned in a neighbourhood of Vale that has a lot of Faunus residents, and- well, it got cancelled last minute because the White Fang saw all the activity around the bar and they ended up almost bombing the place. Luckily, no one got killed, but it was still awful to witness."

Blake's eyes darkened, and she looked down at her bag, pulling out a notepad and pen. "They used to be different." she looked back up. "But anyway, thanks for telling me."

"No problem! Let's find somewhere to sit down."

That 'somewhere' turned out to be a dusty room behind the counter where the employees usually spent their breaks. As a result, the room smelt of coffee and consisted of three battered sofas surrounding a squat table which had been dented due to Nora's past attempt to tap dance on it. The light on the ceiling flickered from time to time and Yang quickly realised that her empty energy drink cans from last week were still standing on the table.

"Sorry, it's a bit-."

"It's fine." Blake said. Yang took a seat on one of the sofas, gesturing for Blake to do the same. She sat down opposite, pulling out her laptop from her bag.

"I'm impressed." grinned Yang, leaning back on the sofa. "You're a blogger as well as a student _and_ a writer?"

"I've kept a blog for quite a while, it's kind of like an online diary now. It helps me take my mind off studying."

"Makes sense, I guess. How's the research going, anyway?"

Blake gave a slight shrug, opening an empty document on her computer to note down the interview. "It's slow, but we're getting there. Anyway, I'm writing up the introduction." she looked at Yang. "What shall I say about you and your band?"

"That we're the best band in Vale, of course!" beamed Yang, striking a pose with her index finger and thumb forming an 'L' shape under her chin. Blake chuckled.

"That's a bit too biased. What about... 'I've been lucky enough to meet Yang Xiao Long, talented guitarist and drummer of 'Pent Up Misery', a rock band in Vale who are increasing in popularity thanks to their energetic gigs that have taken the kingdom by storm'."

"Aw, come on, we're friends! I'm not a celebrity."

"I've been lucky enough to _befriend_?"

"How about 'I've been unfortunate enough'?"

"Yang, you know that's not true." replied Blake, typing up her introduction. Yang gave a laugh. "I wouldn't ask many people for an interview for my blog, 'famous' or not."

"Flatterer."

Her amber eyes moved from the screen to Yang, before moving back. "It's true."

* * *

"...Weiss?"

Silence.

"Weiss, please listen to me." Ruby said, leaning against the closed door. She'd dimmed the lights of the shop and flipped the sign the door to closed. Her shoulder ached from trying to force the door open with no luck - Weiss must've locked it. "There's nothing wrong with being a lesbian. Don't be ashamed about who you are."

No reply. 

"I'm so sorry that your family disowned you. It must've been an awful experience - and it's not your fault. You are who you are, Weiss."

Still no reply.

The student anxiously ran her fingers along the smooth surface of the door. Her and Weiss' friendship was complicated; it was a confusing mix of being friends yet also having an "I'm-your-boss-so-listen-to-me" approach. Weiss usually became impatient at Ruby's lack of skill when it came to domestic tasks and baking of any kind, but Ruby still regarded her as a good friend.

"I'm fine with you being a lesbian, and I'm sure all our friends will say the same. Please don't think that we'll hate you-." Ruby began. Abruptly, the door opened, making Ruby stumble from the sudden action. "Weiss! You're okay!"

"Of course I'm okay, you dolt." she replied stiffly. She looked at Ruby sideways with red eyes. "You really meant what you... what you said?"

"Why would I lie?"

The white-haired young woman gave a sigh. "Because not much people were so tolerant."

"Do you... want to talk about it?"

And that's how, ten minutes later, the pair were sitting at a table in pressing silence. Ruby traced the edge of her mug with the tip of her finger, looking worriedly at Weiss. She was staring down at her cup of untouched coffee, her white fringe falling in front of her blue eyes, which were almost as dull as the sky at dusk.

"My father," she said, her voice soft but laced with detest. "he ruined us; he destroyed my family. He... he made my mother turn to alcoholism, he sent my sister away to a military school on the outskirts of Atlas, and manipulated by brother until he was just like himself - cold and arrogant. He tried to do the same to me, but I never listened to him. It just made him hate me even more. When I came out to my sister, my father somehow managed to eventually find out and, well, you can guess what soon happened."

"Weiss, I'm so s-."

"Don't be, you didn't do anything." the baker gave a sigh. "I just came to Vale to open this place, and get a fresh start."

"Well, you made the right choice!" 

"I hope so."

"And don't forget, you always have me to talk to about anything you want."

".... Thanks." Weiss slowly lifted the mug to her lips to take a drink, before setting it back down on the saucer. "I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier. I've just been feeling a bit... on edge, recently."

"It's okay, I understand." Ruby replied quickly. There was a short silence. "Well... why have you been feeling on edge?"

"It's nearing Christmas, so it's hard to keep the place open, knowing that everyone else is going back to their families when I.... have to stay here by myself. Winter's still in the Atlas military, so I can't go to her either-."

"Come with us!"

"... Sorry?"

"Yang and I!" said Ruby, a look of excitement crossing her face. "We're going back to Patch for Christmas. Our dad lives there and my Uncle Qrow's coming this year and we always whip up this big feast and we have a dog called Zwei and he's the cutest dog in Remnant and it'll be so fun if you come as well!"

Weiss blinked at her, surprised at the speed at which Ruby had blurted this out. "Ruby, I'm touched by your offer, but I barely know your family. I don't want to seem like an intruder."

"Of course you won't be an intruder! My dad already knows of you, I've told him." The baker raised an eyebrow. "I didn't tell him anything bad! I just told you him that you're a wonderful friend and a great baker- oooh, would you be able to bake a Christmas cake if you come over?"

"I..."

"Or Christmas cookies!" Ruby smiled, placing her warm hand on Weiss' cold one. Weiss looked at her youthful face, lit up with joy at the thought of inviting her over for Christmas.

"Well, if your family has no objection, then-."

"They don't, they honestly won't!"

"Then I'll think about it, okay?" Weiss said. Ruby drooped slightly, but remained smiling.

"Thanks, Weiss!"

"I should be thanking you. Thanks for... understanding. And I'm sorry for yelling at you and being rude at Jaune."

"It's fine, Jaune can be a bit irritating when he's trying to flirt, but he means no harm-."

_"DING."_

"Oh, a customer." Weiss said, seeing the person walk through the door. She began to get up, but Ruby stood up before her and firmly pressed her back onto the chair.

"I'll handle this, you have a rest and finish your coffee." she said, picking up her empty mug and whisking over to the customer. "Welcome to 'Icing on the Cake'! How can I help you?" Ruby asked. Weiss looked at Ruby, who smiled radiantly at the customer. She found herself soon smiling too, the heavy feeling in her heart finally lessening.


End file.
